Sod-turning for Marriott Hotel tomorrow

The sod-turning ceremony for the Marriott-branded hotel in the Kingston, Georgetown area will be held tomorrow.
Last July, President Bharrat Jagdeo said that the government was looking to seal a deal with Zublin Grenada Limited within three months.
Jagdeo said that the project would be financed by the government and the company, with the government putting one-third of the financing and Zublin Grenada investing the other two-thirds.

An artist’s impression of what the Marriott Hotel would look like.

It was the same Grenada company that was upbraided over a year ago by the government for prematurely disclosing that it was working out a deal to build a Marriott-branded hotel here.
In mid-May 2010, the government reacted angrily when the company, Zublin Grenada, announced that it was seriously considering “a very attractive offer” by the Guyana Government to build the Marriott resort and casino.
In July 2010, the government advertised for interested contractors to make pre-qualification applications for construction of the hotel in the Kingston area next to the Guyana Pegasus Hotel.
Jagdeo said that two bids were received and the government decided to go with Zublin as the lower of the two bidders.
It was noted that the hotel will be operated by Marriott International and be built according to Marriott standards.
The works, it was advertised, would include the construction and erection of a 200,000 square- foot, 160-room hotel facility along with a 75,000 square foot “entertainment complex” outfitted with common services areas/amenities that will house a casino, restaurant, nightclub, and other spaces that will be rented.